News & Events

August 2009: Minister launches hydrogen fuelled engine
On August 5th, the Hon. Peter Batchelor, Minister for Energy and Resources in the Victorian Parliament, launched ACART’s hydrogen fuelled internal combustion engine. This project has redesigned the Geelong manufactured Ford engine using locally sourced components from Mahle and Parnell, and is already one of the most efficient hydrogen fuelled internal combustion engines ever demonstrated. In the remaining 18 months of the project, the team aims to demonstrate the most efficient hydrogen engine ever reported, with an efficiency comparable to current fuel cell demonstrators. Further, the technologies currently being worked on by the group can also be applied to LPG and natural gas fuelled engines, and so also have immediate application in production engines.

July 2009: ACART, SAE-A and Horiba to run engine emissions course

ACART and Horiba, in association with the Society of Automotive Engineers, Australia (SAE-A) will be presenting a 3 day professional development short course on road transport engine emissions from 15-17 July at the University of Melbourne. Material to be covered includes regulated hydrocarbon, CO and NOx emissions, greenhouse and non-regulated gases as well as other air toxics and particulates from petrol and diesel engines. For further information on registering for this course, please contact Marissa Mascarro, Marissa@sae-a.com.au

April 2009: Minister Gavin Jennings opens ACART Environmental Wind Tunnel

Ford Australia, Melbourne School of Engineering and the State Government of Victoria officially opened of the new Advanced Centre for Automotive Research and Testing (ACART) Environmental Laboratory test facilities at the Ford Proving Ground on 15th April, 2009.

ACART / HORIBA Technical exchange workshop

On Tuesday, June 10th 2008, the Advanced Centre for Automotive Research and Testing (ACART) in conjunction with the world’s leading manufacturer of automotive emissions measurement systems, HORIBA, presented a ‘Technical exchange workshop’ to invited participants from the Australian automotive and transport industries.

Approximately 50 people attended, for a day of presentations and discussion on the impact of future automotive emissions legislation on testing technology. Of particular interest were the performance and testing of both advanced powertrain technologies such as hybrids and alternatively fuelled vehicles.

July 2007: ACART & SAE-A run engine emissions course

The Department of Mechanical Engineering, University of Melbourne in association with the Society of Automotive Engineers, Australia (SAE-A) and the Department of Fuel and Energy, University of Leeds, present a 3 day professional development short course on road transport engine emissions.

Material covered includes regulated hydrocarbon, CO and NOx emissions, greenhouse and non-regulated gases as well as other air toxics and particulates from petrol and diesel engines.

For further information on the course, please visit the SAE-A website www.sae-a.com.au

March 2007: ACART wins major research grant to develop a hydrogen fuelled engine

The Victorian State Government awarded the University, Ford and Haskel Australia a grant to build a highly efficient low cost hydrogen fuelled engine. The project "Efficient and practical hydrogen fuelled vehicle technologies" is to be supported by the Energy Technology Investment Scheme (ETIS) in the Department of Primary Industries. The main aim of the 3 year project is to build a Victorian-manufactured engine that should achieve the world's highest efficiency for a hydrogen-fuelled internal combustion engine, using technologies that are production ready.

August 2006: The Sod Turning Ceremony occurred on 16 August 2006

The Honourable John Brumby, Tom Gorman President of Ford Australia and Professor John McKenzie, Deputy Vice Chancellor Research from the University of Melbourne turned the ground breaking sod at the site of the environmental windtunnel. View the report in uninews